Under the Wire
by SynchronizedThoughts
Summary: "It feels so good to be free of it, so completely liberating to stand there with nothing on her chest, she almost hates to put the new one on, so she doesn't." An AU Caskett meeting. (Eventually a two-shot)


_A fun collaboration, because we just had to write this together. (Meg & Ally)_

 _Prompt courtesy of the Castle Fanfics Prompts Blog and will follow at the end._

* * *

 **Under the Wire**

" _Five more minutes, just five more minutes,"_ the detective thinks to herself, squirming uncomfortably in her seat. Hazel orbs reluctantly move away from the slowly moving clock on her computer screen, brows furrowing in mock concentration as she attempts to focus her attention on the mundane task of paperwork.

The day has actually been pretty productive so far. The team caught a case earlier in the week and were in the process of tracking a suspect down. For whatever reason, the guy thought it would be a smart idea to run, which is perfectly fine. Detective Kate Beckett is no stranger to the task of physically having to chase a suspect a couple of blocks and today wasn't supposed to be any different, but it didn't exactly go as planned.

She's not entirely too sure how it happened or when it happened, but all of a sudden, about half of a block into the chase, she feels a sharp, stabbing, sensation just above her rib cage. Quickly shaking the thought aside, Beckett continues on, eventually catching up with the runaway man and tackling him to the ground, slapping the cuffs onto his wrists before shoving him into the hands of Esposito without giving it a second thought.

The ride back to the precinct was a little more difficult; something about the change in position caused the poking and jabbing sensations to become more prevalent, enough to have the usually composed detective wriggling around a bit in the driver's seat. As soon as the suspect has been properly questioned and released, only serving to be a dead end, she promptly excuses herself and practically sprints off in the direction of the restroom to try to figure out what in the world is going on.

She quickly locks herself inside and lifts her shirt, grumbling in discontent upon discovering the source of her discomfort. A thin, tiny, piece of metal pokes out of the magenta colored material of her bra. _"Seriously?"_ she whines to herself, scrunching her features into a pout as she shifts to examine the damage more thoroughly. Kate does her best to try to shove the tiny piece of metal back into its place, but it doesn't budge. Then, she tries to maneuver the magenta material back over the pointy piece of metal, grimacing as the wiring further punctures it. An elongated sigh of defeat slips past the detective's lips as she readjusts her clothing, twisting open the bathroom door and sauntering back towards her desk. She'd have some time during her lunch hour to fix the problem. For now though, she's forced to wait.

Lunch can't come soon enough. By the time she actually manages to get out of the precinct and to her car, the wire is so far out of the material that it's completely unbearable to wear the bra any longer. Kate knows that running home will take entirely too long, using up her entire lunch break, which is just not an option because she has no food at her apartment, and food is what keeps her fueled for the long hours she spends at the precinct.

She's shifting uncomfortably, squirming all over her seat when she remembers that the mall is only a block over. She can find a new bra and grab some food while she's there, it's a win-win.

The mall is surprisingly busy for the middle of the week, and Kate finds herself even more agitated by the time she has maneuvered her way through the crowds of people who all seem to be over the moon about Victoria's Secret's annual bra sale. She could care less, she just needs the damn wire that's trying to embed in her skin gone.

Kate grabs the first bra she sees in her size, a royal purple, lacey thing that would be pretty if she was buying it with the knowledge that someone else would be seeing it. "If only," she muses to herself before quickly tossing her thoughts aside because at this point it doesn't matter; it's her size, it's on sale, it'll do.

She stands in line for far too long, checking and re-checking her watch, watching the minutes of her lunch break dwindle down and _for the love of God_ , she'll pay someone to let her in front of them because the demonic piece of metal has got to go. Finally, it's her turn and she slaps the bra down onto the counter, is ready to swipe her card as soon as the cashier has rang it up.

She swipes the card with a quick flick of her wrist, signing her name unbelievably fast when the screen prompts her to before she shoves her card in her pocket and taps the counter impatiently while she waits for her receipt to print.

"Don't worry about a bag," she practically growls, snatching the bra off the counter once she has her receipt. "I don't need one," she clarifies, turning away from the counter and sighing at the crowd of people which has definitely grown since she entered the mall.

By the time she reaches the bathroom, which of course had to be at the other end of the mall, she's ready to just strip her shirt off right there and change; the poking has become _that_ unbearable. She shoves the bathroom door open, sighs in relief when she finds it empty and _how the hell is it empty when that many people are in the damn mall?_

She strips her shirt off, hanging it over the top of the stall closest to her and instant relief washes through her entire body when she unhooks the magenta bra, pulls the damn wire away from her skin and examines the red welt that it's left there. It feels so good to be free of it, so completely liberating to stand there with nothing on her chest, she almost hates to put the new one on, so she doesn't; instead, she pauses content to stand there and thoroughly enjoy the moment for a little while longer.

* * *

"Da da ew. Ew, da da," the almost two-year-old toddler announces, poking out her bottom lip into a pathetic little pout that makes his heart shatter into a thousand teeny, tiny pieces.

"I know, baby, daddy's going to fix it, okay?" he promises, affectionately cuddling his daughter closer to him after clumsily maneuvering the diaper bag onto his shoulder.

What started as another ordinary day in the park took a terrible turn for the worst when a rain shower appeared out of nowhere. Rick wasted no time at all in scooping Alexis out of the swing and into his arms, quickly sprinting across the street towards the mall, knowing that it would take at least twenty minutes, if not longer, for the car service to arrive. By the time that the duo are safely inside, both are completely drenched, from head to toe.

Thankfully though, one of the many, many things that being a dad has taught him is to always be prepared. He learned early on to always pack extra clothes for them both; expect the unexpected because children are unpredictable. He knows that he has to act fast though. Alexis is an angel child. He rarely has any problems with her, but the kid does not approve of being wet. Diapers, swimming pools, baths, rain, anything involving any liquid of any kind is a huge deal for her. It's really only a matter of time before she completely loses her patience and begins to cry. If she cries, he probably will too just because he hates knowing that he's done something to make her upset and nobody wants to see a grown man balling his eyes out; the press would have a field day.

"Wet. Da da, no," Alexis whines from her place on his shoulder, finding his own piercing blue eyes sadly staring back up at him as he turns his head to look at her.

"We're almost there pumpkin, just a little while longer," he soothes, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he practically sprints towards the family restroom in the center of the mall.

A deep sigh of relief slips past the writer's lips as the restroom sign comes into view and he quickly dashes toward it. "Closed for cleaning? You've gotta be kidding me," Castle whines as he stares at the sign covering the door.

It's not like he can just walk her into the men's restroom and he really wouldn't do it even if he could. They aren't set up for things like that and, frankly, the women and family restrooms are usually a lot more sanitary. He's not about to walk his kid in there.

Which means that the women's restroom is his only option.

It's not exactly conventional, he knows, but it's better than nothing.

Unfortunately the women's restroom with the baby changing station is all the way at the other end of the mall, which means more walking. Rick rolls his eyes and quickly leaps back into action, soon rounding the corner where the other set of bathrooms are located.

He knows it's silly, but he can't help pressing his ear to the outside door, just listening to see if anyone is in there. It doesn't really matter, he knows that. The exchange is going to be a little awkward no matter what, but there isn't anything he can do about it.

Rick turns his attention back to Alexis, whose whines and whimpers of discomfort seem to be increasing in volume with every move he makes. He knows that he needs to act quickly before she bursts out into a full on tantrum right here in front of everyone.

He blows out a deep, calming breath, simultaneously soothing a hand across his little girl's back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before clumsily shoving the door to the women's bathroom open.

It all happens so quickly that Kate barely has time to register the door flying open before a man...w _ait, a man?..._ is barging into the women's bathroom.

If he wasn't carrying an adorable child in his arms she'd react completely differently than she currently is. Her first instinct is to kick his ass and then give him an earful for barging into a place he doesn't belong without at least knocking first. And in her moment of shear anger, she fails to realize that she's done little to cover her bare chest from his wide, blue eyes.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she demands, and when his eyes linger on her chest before lifting to her eyes she snaps into action.

Her arms come up to cover her bare breasts, her eyebrow quirking as if she's daring him to do or say something in regards to her current predicament.

But before he can respond the little girl in his arms begins to squirm and oh yeah, she probably shouldn't have cussed in front of the child, but seriously, what is he doing in the women's bathroom when there's a perfectly acceptable family restroom on the other end of the mall.

"I…I uh…I'm sorry," he stutters, working really hard to keep his eyes above the eye-full of chest he just received. "I just needed to change my kid. The uh…the family bathroom was closed for cleaning and there's nowhere to change her in the men's." He motions towards the changing table just as Alexis begins to wail; big, fat tears stream down her cheeks as she continues to squirm in his arms.

Kate steps to the side to allow him access to the table, watching with her arms still crossed as he lays the small child down. She takes the moment as her chance to grab her new bra, sliding her arms through the straps and hooking it behind her back.

* * *

She startles briefly when she looks up, finding those piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

"Do you mind?" she bites, rolling her eyes as she reaches for her shirt, finally feeling modest again, even though she knows he got a good look at her bare chest.

"I was just wondering," he muses, failing to hide the smirk that appears on his face as he lifts a now clean and dry baby into a sitting position onto the changing table. "Is it the norm now for women to go topless in public restrooms? You know, just for future reference."

Kate's eyes narrow, leveling the man with a signature Beckett glare and Rick immediately regrets asking the question, even jokingly so, because if looks could kill, he knows, without a doubt, that he would be dead meat right about now.

"Okay, okay, stupid question," he amends, waving a hand in surrender as he struggles to keep the squirming toddler from pushing her way into his arms. "No more questions and I can totally make this better, if you don't mind holding her for a few minutes?"

Kate quirks a brow in his direction because did he really just ask her, a complete stranger, to hold his kid?

"No, I don't normally let strange women hold my kid, if that's what you're thinking. It's just…she's all clean and dry now and I'm still wet from the rain. I have backup clothes stored away in her bag, just in case something like this ever happens. I would just pick her up and be out of your hair, but she hates being wet," he explains.

"Up, da da. Up. Hug," the little girl whines impatiently as she desperately tries to wriggle and squirm her way back into her daddy's arms. Her bottom lip quivers, not understanding why she's being pushed away. "Da da?"

Kate watches the exchange from her place in front of the sinks, absentmindedly biting down on her bottom lip as she loses herself in thought and the words are out of her mouth before she has a chance to really think about what she's agreeing to. "Okay, fine, let me see the kid," she sighs, trading places with the man.

Rick blows out a sigh of relief before kneeling down and beginning to rifle through the diaper bag for his clothes, pausing to hand Alexis her favorite stuffed monkey. A wide grin illuminates his features as her face lights up, tiny arms extending outward to wrap the animal in the biggest hug she can manage and Kate can't help but grin.

"Key, da da," Alexis babbles, happily waving the monkey around for him to see.

"I see, pumpkin," he replies with a smile before moving over to the sink with his clothes in hand and folding them over the wall of the stall closest to him.

Kate flashes the baby a smile that grows impossibly wider as Alexis giggles and flashes one of her own.

"Da da," she says again, reaching a tiny hand out to point to him while her eyes meet Kate's, as if trying to tell her who the man is. The detective laughs and nods, gently lifting the baby into her arms before turning around to face him.

Her eyes widen, mouth falling agape at the sight of the random man, clad in nothing but a pair of dark blue boxers, bent over, and clumsily attempting to pull on a new pair of jeans.

" _Oh my god,"_ Kate thinks to herself before quickly spinning back around, eliciting a squeak and a loud giggle out of the baby. Whenever he told her that he needed to change clothes, she didn't think he meant out here. She turns her attention back to the baby, doing her best to keep her gaze anywhere else because this is just ridiculous, aimlessly bouncing the kid in her arms.

All she wanted to do was give the kid a better view of her dad but apparently that's what they are both getting.

Alexis giggles at the bouncing, happily patting the woman's cheek, flashing another happy smile and Kate has never been more grateful that the kid is too little to really comprehend what all is actually going on, subtly shifting so that she can get a better look at the man, because turnabout is fair play.

Or at least that's what she keeps telling herself, biting down on her bottom lip as she watches him tug the white, form fitting, v-neck, t-shirt over his head.

This is without a doubt the most awkward meeting she's ever had with a man that she's attracted to. She's not sure anyone would even believe her if she told the truth about it. But as she stands there holding his kid, not even knowing his name, she can't help but imagine herself hitting it off with him.

Castle finishes situating his clothing, finally reaching for Alexis as he steps closer to where Kate is standing.

"Thank you," he says, blowing a raspberry against the baby's stomach as he takes her back into his arms. Alexis squeals, laughing as her little hands cup his face, trying to push him away.

Kate shrugs as if it's no big deal, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. How do you end an encounter with a man who accidentally saw you topless in the women's restroom?

"Uh, I better get back to work," she finally says, glancing down at her watch and realizing that she needs to be back at the precinct in a few minutes.

She starts to turn away, reaching the door just as Castle's hand on her shoulder stops her from going any further.

"I know this is going to come out all wrong. But I can't let you go without asking. Would you uh…maybe we could grab a coffee sometime or something? You know, a meeting where we both remain completely clothed the entire time," he finishes, his nervous chuckle making the silence of the moment seem indefinite.

Kate rolls her eyes before smirking, turning back around to face him. "No one would believe me if I told this story anyway, so why not? Though, the whole leaving the clothes on thing seems rather disappointing seeing as how you've already given me an enticing preview."

Castle's eyes widen as he digs in the diaper bag for a piece of paper, scribbling his number on it before holding it out to her. "I'll let you call me when you're available," he says, smiling brightly at her.

Kate nods, taking the paper and folding it before she slides it into her pocket. "I'll be sure to do that," she says, starting to turn away again.

"Wait," Castle calls after her, hastily stepping out of the bathroom to catch her before she can disappear.

Kate halts in her tracks, turning to face him once again, an amused smirk gracing her features.

"I've seen you topless but I don't even know your name. This seems rather backwards and completely unfair," he says, chuckling quietly at her eye roll.

"It's Kate," she says, watching his features light up just before she turns away again.

* * *

Prompt: " _The family restroom at the mall is out of service so Castle goes to the ladies room to change baby/infant Alexis, and surprises a topless Kate Beckett."_


End file.
